If you are working, then maintaining a balance between your professional and personal lives becomes extremely difficult. In fact, most of the working women, while heading towards their homes, are burdened with the worries of making a quick and healthy dinner for their family. Well, with a little pre-planning, one can make sure that his/her family has a nutritious and balanced meal on the table every night, without wasting much time in the kitchen. Here are some wonderful ideas that one can take into account to set up an interesting mood for preparing a palatable dinner in no time. Tips for Making a Quick Dinner

• Planning your menu list for the entire week in advance will definitely save considerable amount of time, as you would be knowing what you have to serve your family on each day of the week beforehand. Though it is very important to follow the weekly dinner menu strictly, you may add some variations to it on those days when you return home early.
• Making some dinner preparations in the morning will ease the cooking process in the evening. For example, mashing boiled potatoes, peeling off some vegetables before leaving for office, checking regularly whether all food items are adequate in the stock or not will save significant time of yours.
• Preparing healthy and fast recipes that won't consume much of your time, and can be enjoyed by each family member is another idea for a quick dinner. Like pasta treats, bread rolls with cheese, turkey and ham, pork spring rolls, meatballs and taco soups, Mexican wraps with tomatoes, etc., are some food items that are not only quick to prepare, but also serve the purpose of eating a delicious and nutritious dinner.
• Using modern kitchen equipment like crockpot, casserole, etc., for cooking will definitely make your life easy, and will help you in serving your family with delicious food in adequate time.
• Last but not the least, if you have a supportive family, ask them to lend a helping hand in preparing dinner. This will not only help you fasten the dinner preparation, but make the process of cooking―enjoyable.

Here are some quick dinner recipes that can be prepared easily without wasting much of your time. Macaroni and Cheese Casserole Ingredients:

• Cheddar cheese, 1 cup (shredded)
• Macaroni, 1 cup (uncooked )
• Paprika, ⅛ tsp.
• Bread crumbs, ¼ cup
• Salt, ¼ tsp.
• Milk, ⅔ cup
• Eggs, 1

Directions: Cook macaroni as per the packet directions, drain, and keep it aside. Put the layers of cooked macaroni in the buttered baking dish and sprinkle each layer with shredded cheese. Take a small bowl and beat together egg, milk, salt, and paprika. Pour this mixture over the macaroni and cheese layers. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and cheese. Bake at 400°F until it turns golden brown. Easy and Quick Chalupas Ingredients:

• Corn tortillas or tostada shells, 8
• Refried beans, 1 cup (spiced up with a bit of garlic powder and cumin)
• Tomatoes, 1 cup (chopped)
• Ground meat beef, 16 oz. (cooked with onion, garlic and taco seasoning)
• Shredded lettuce, 2 cups
• Shredded cheese, 1 cup
• Other topping like guacamole, avocado, sour cream, chopped onion, etc., as required

Directions: In a large frying pan, fry tortillas in hot canola oil until they turn slightly brown, and drain them on paper towels. Heat the refried beans and season them as per your taste. Top the tostadas with beans, cooked beef, and any desired toppings. Apple, Raisin, Coffee Cupcakes Ingredients:

• Raisins, 1¼ cups (chopped)
• Instant coffee, 2 tsp.
• Brown sugar, 1½ cups
• Ground cinnamon, 2 tsp.
• Ground cloves, 1 tsp.
• All-purpose flour, 3¼ cups
• Apple pie filling, ½ cup
• Hot water, 2 cups
• Butter, 1 cup
• Baking soda, 2 tbsp.
• Eggs, 1

Directions: Preheat the oven at 325°F and line the cupcake trays with cupcake papers. Dissolve the coffee in the hot water and in a saucepan, mix together brown sugar, chopped raisins, cinnamon, ground cloves, apple, butter and dissolved coffee over low heat until the butter melts. Add lightly beaten egg, sifted flour and soda to it, and mix well. Now spoon the batter in the cupcake trays and bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Inexpensive Dinners

• Having a tasty and healthy dinner need not be expensive all the time, but by following some cost-effective dinner ideas, you can relish your food without worrying about your pocket size. There are a number of food dishes that are not only good for your taste buds and health but are inexpensive too. Pumpkin dishes, frugal frittata, ham and bean casserole, plain muffins, etc are some cheap and healthy recipes that can be prepared easily without spending lots of money.
• Preparing vegetarian dishes for dinner will surely cut down on your expenses and will also fulfill the quota of nutrients in your food items.
• You can also try for some small restaurants that offer low-priced dinners that may fall into your budget. However, you should never compromise with the quality of the food by eating at any kind of restaurant. Therefore, look out for such eating houses that maintain perfect level of nutrients in food, hygiene, and still have low rates for their dishes.

Dinner for Two Though there aren't any particular rules to plan a romantic dinner for you and your partner, by following these ideas, you can help the evening go off without a hitch!

• Even if you are preparing dinner at home, it is always nice to get dressed up and look elegant and beautiful.
• Candles or dim lights, wine, or even champagne would definitely act as a mood enhancer, and would fill love and romance in the air.
• Decorating the room with your partner's favorite flowers, using special, romantic dinnerware and playing soft romantic music in the background will add more of a personal touch to the evening.
• Preparing your partner's favorite dishes and desserts will show the efforts and time you took to make that evening so perfect and special.

By following these ideas, you will not only curb you and your family from unhealthy fast food habits, but will also save a lot of your time, ensuring you spend quality time at the table with your family every night.